Chance
by Kayakgirl443
Summary: Callie is diagnosed with a modified form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), and has to see a psychologist once a week. She absolutely hates it, so when the oppurtunity arises for her to try an alternative form of therapy, she jumps at the chance. Callie is introduced to Equine Assisted Therapy, and from then on, her life is changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

**okay, so here is my newest idea for a fanfiction! I have some great ideas on where this story can go, so I'd love to hear some feedback on what everyone thinks of this idea! If you like it let me know! If you hate it, tell me! I'd love to hear all your thoughts! I'll have another chapter up in the next two days if I get some feedback that you guys like this idea! Love you all- KG**

Stef and Lena walk into the psychologists office, dragging Callie in tow. Callie completely hated her psychology appointments, they made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She hated talking about feelings. The brunette sighed as she got up when she heard her name called to head back to the office. She slowly trudged to the office door, dreading every minute of the next hour she'd have to endure with the wonderful Dr. Hawthorne. The teen shot a menacing look at Stef and Lena, who smiled out of pity and waved for her to continue into the room.

"Hello Callie! How are you today?" Dr. Hawthorne asked sincerely.

"Fine. How about YOU ? Everything all sunshine and rainbows?" Callie questioned sarcastically.

"I'm great, Callie, thank you for asking. So, you ready to get down to business? How've you been feeling lately with the family? I believe last week when you were here you said you felt as if you were.." The doctor paused, looking down at her notes, "An outsider, yes, I believe those were your exact words." Hawthorne stated as she glanced back up at Callie.

Callie glared at the woman and kept her lips sealed in spite. Dr. Hawthorne simply sat and waited, knowing how much the young brunette hated silence. Callie groaned and rolled her eyes, knowing she was about to give in and speak to get rid of the horrible silence settling in the room.

"Isn't there something else I can do besides these stupid psychology appointments? I hate these, theyre awkward and I dont think I've been benefitting from at all. There's no alternatives to this stupid, stuffy office?" Callie asked, frustrated.

Dr. Hawthorne sat there quietly for a second, analyzing the young girl before nodding, and walking over to her desk. Callie watched her curiously, and quirked her eyebrows when the woman walked back over and handed her a colorful brochure. Callie looked down at the paper, and then made a disbelieving noise as she read the title.

"Equine therapy? Is that even a real thing?" Callie questioned, confused.

Dr. Hawthorne chuckled at the girl's fiery attitude, "Yes, ofcourse it is real. It's a wonderful program my office just started a few weeks ago.I've been looking for some good candidates for our trial lessons, and I think you'd be a great addition to our group. If you chose to enroll, we'd assign you a horse who had been through a harmful or traumatic experience or living situation, much like all of our patients here. While working closely wih our horse trainers, you will learn how to work together with your horse. Studies have proven this to be a very effective therapy program for those who have suffered from traumatic experiences, or people with modified forms of PTSD. I think that you'd benefit more from that than our office visits here every week." the Doctor explained enthusiastically.

Callie stared at the doctor skeptically. She'd never even riden a horse, yet this new therapy idea sounded a lot more appealing than her current situation.

Callie nodded slowly, "Can I try it for a week or two? To see if I like it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Certainly! Let me just bring your foster Moms in here to explain our little plan!" Dr. Hawthorne replied as she winked at Callie.

Callie rolled her eyes again at her doctor's enthusiasm. Sometimes it was too much.

After hearing all that has to say, Stef and Lena reluctantly agreed to let Callie try it out. So that next week, Callie went to her first lesson, the first of five for that week.


	2. Chapter 2

**alright guys! Thanks for the great response! Here is the second chapter! If all goes well, i will have another ready by tonight or early tomorrow!:) please read and let me know what ya think! **

Callie took a deep breath as she nervously walked through the door of a large indoor arena. From outside, she could hear a lot of commotion and she wasn't fond of it. As she came through the door, she saw a girl about her age walk by, leading the biggest animal she'd ever seen in her life. The horse walked behind the girl, swinging it's head good naturedly, back and forth. Callie hoped she didn't look as shocked as she felt. Anyone who was willing to work with these giant creatures, whom could easily kill you, must be crazy. Callie laughed to herself, 'Apparently I'm crazy enough to work with them' she thought. Callie was unsure of where to go after she'd entered the arena, so she stood awkwardly to the side, watching people riding and working with horses of all different sizes, shapes, and colors.

"Hey there! You must be Callie?" a voice sounded from behind.

Callie jumped and spun around quickly in panic. She hated when people surprised her by coming up behind her. She liked to be aware of her surroundings at all times, in case of an emergency. Callie took a deep, calming breath when she realized who the voice was coming from. A woman, who by the looks of it, was barely 5 feet tall with outrageously curly hair stood there looking at Callie. The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, had a wild, unpredictable look in her eyes, but seemed harmless enough.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you! I always forget a lot of people with PTSD don't like when people come up behind them without warning, but its exactly the same with horses, so I don't know why I have trouble remembering it. Oh lord, here I go rambling! I do that a lot too! Okay, sorry, my name is Miranda, but you can call me Randy for short if you'd prefer. It's nice to finally meet you! I've heard great things about you from Dr. Hawthorne!" Miranda said as she stuck her hand out for Callie to shake.

Callie had the urge to roll her eyes, ' hearing great things about me from Dr. Hawthorne is probably an exaggeration' she thought to herself. She stared at the wild-eyed woman for a second, before she decided that she liked her, then stuck out her hand and shook Miranda's.

"Nice to meet you too! I would introduce myself, but since you already know my name I guess I don't need to." Callie said with a little spark of attitude.

Miranda laughed and nodded her head.

"Okay, so I'm the assistant trainer here. I'll be working with you and your horse a great deal over the next few months, so expect to see me a lot! Let me take you to meet your horse, he just came into our facility a few days ago, so he's a little jumpy, but I think once you get to know him you'll get a long famously." Miranda said with a smile as she began to walk, motioning for Callie to follow.

Callie fell into step next to Miranda, and together, they walked towards some stalls that housed the horses near the back of the arena. They walked in a comfortable silence, until they reached the stalls. Miranda abruptly stopped in front of a stall that housed a large black horse. It was very tall, and had a large white blaze that spanned from its forehead to the bottom of its nose. It looked at the two women, the whites of its eyes showing, as it backed up nervously in its stall.

Callie glanced at Miranda worriedly, 'They're crazy if they want me to ride this thing' Callie thought to herself.

Miranda stepped forward slowly, careful not to move too fast and scare the horse. She made a small shushing, as if to calm the horse, while opening up the stall door with a careful consiceness. The horse watched the woman warily, but did not back up any farther. Miranda walked up to the horse, with a hand outstretched, she touched the horse's nose, and the black animal blew air into her hand nervously. Miranda clicked her tongue softly, as she began to stroke the horse's nose.

"Hey Callie, could you hand me that halter?" Miranda whispered to the teen, but never taking her eyes off the horse.

Callie moved slowly, just as Miranda did and mimicked her soft shushing noise. Quietly, she grabbed the large red halter. She noticed a copper plate on the halter, with the word "Chance" engraved in it. Slowly, she moved her body, and slid into the stall without any sudden movements or loud noises, but never taking her eyes off of the animal.

Miranda studied Callie intently. She was impressed at how much the girl had noticed her doing. Callie handed Miranda the halter, and then warily raised her hand for the horse to smell. While still tense, the horse didnt seem to mind Callie's presence.

Miranda slipped the halter around the horse's head easily, but continued to make calming noises, as not to scare the already anxious animal.

Callie rubbed the horse's nose gently, and smiled at Miranda, hoping for some affirmation that she was doing the right thing. Miranda smiled back and nodded, giving Callie her approval.

Miranda walked out of the stall to grab the lead rope, leaving Callie alone with the horse, Callie was alarmed at first, and the horse startled, sensing Callie's tension. Callie realized and calmed herself down, while also calming the horse down by whispering to him softly and rubbing his neck.

Miranda approached the stall again and whispered to Callie, "here's the lead rope, I want you to clip him to it and lead him out of the stall."

Callie stared at the woman like she was insane, but took the rope and slowly leaned over and clipped it to a metal ring on the halter.

She patted the horse's muzzle one more time before haltingly turning around, keeping both hands steady and holding the rope firmly. She took a hesitant step forward, but the horse stayed where it was. Callie was jerked back, alarmed, and looked at Miranda with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.

Miranda stood, studying the two, Callie and the horse, and then spoke softly, "You need to act confident, if Chance doesn't think you're confident, he won't follow you. You have to be the leader, the alpha, Chance is scared, and needs someone to lead him."

Callie nodded, understanding that she had to lead and protect this horse, just as she had with Jude. Determined, she straightened her shoulders and glanced back at the horse whose name was apparently Chance. Callie took a step forward, with a little more force, and this time, Chance followed, although hesitantly. He looked at Callie curiously, and watched her intently.

"Good job Callie! Now let's lead him over here and have a good look at em, huh? You need to get familiar, so for these first few lessons, there wont be any riding, it'll just be you learning about horses, or more specifically, Chance, and him, learning about you." Miranda vocalized as she began to walk.

Callie nodded, and then continued walking, leading Chance behind her. Miranda led her over to a small round pen, and opened the gate to lead them inside. Chance snorted in suprise when the gate opened, and began to back up. Callie looked up at Miranda, hoping for some advice. Instead, Miranda gave her an expectant look, telling Callie that she needed to figure this out on her own.


	3. Chapter 3

**I've been getting such amazing feedback from all of you, through PM's and reviews and follows and favorites, so thank you so much for your support! I have so great plans for this fic, so I hope you'll stick around! My goal for now is to try to update every day or every other day, so there should be a lot of updates headed your way. In about two weeks though, I will be heading into finals week, so if I start to slack off, be patient! Or, be impatient and send me a PM telling me to get my ass in gear! Thanks once again, and here is chapter 3!**

Callie stared at Miranda in shock. She had just met this horse, and Miranda was already expecting her to figure out how to help it? she questioned to herself. She glanced back at Chance, and decided that confidence was probably the best solution. To show lack of fear towards the gate, Callie took a step forward, dragging Chance in tow, and slowly touching the gate, being careful not to make sudden movements. She grabbed the gate, and stood there for a second, hoping to convey that this gate was harmless, and that he shouldn't be afraid. That seemed to do the trick, and Chance took his focus off of the gate, and looked to Callie for his next instruction. Callie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and continued to march forward until they were all the way in the arena. Miranda watched as the young brunette stroked the horses neck, and gave it quiet praise.

"You're a natural" Miranda said, "He's starting to trust you already, but you know that means that eventually, you'll have to trust him back, right?"

Callie stood, tense, as she listened to what Miranda said. She hated 'trusting' anyone or anything. It was just an easy way to get let down or hurt. Callie sighed as she fought herself internally. She knew that if she never trusted the horse, there would never be any progress and she would have to go back to that wretched psychology office to continue appointments there. Callie finally nodded, letting Miranda know that she was at least willing to try.

Miranda smiled, and walked over to Callie, patting her shoulder as she slid past and continued on to Chance. Chance watched from his peripheral vision, and started to back away when Miranda approached, almost dragging Callie with him. Callie stood her ground and clucked softly, letting him know that Miranda was okay and that he was safe. She walked up closer to his nose and pet him, trying to distract him so that he wouldn't be nervous. Chance nickered and blew air onto Callie's hand while nuzzling her palm. Callie thought she felt her heart melt as the horse warmed up to her.

Miranda finally spoke once more, "I guess I should tell you a little background on Chance. He was found three weeks ago, at a small private farm just north of San Diego. His owners had been abusing and mistreating their animals for a long time. Sometimes they went days without food. When the Animal Cops arrived at the home, one horse had already died from malnourishment, and two others, Chance and another horse we are keeping here, Lucky, were on the brink of death. After the Animal cops rescued them, they brought them here and they have been rehabilitating ever since." Miranda finished

Callie looked at her in disbelief, "Why the hell would someone want to hurt an innocent animal like Chance, did the owners get in trouble? I hope so, because mistreating animals is so messed up."

Miranda stared at Callie with a puzzled look on her face, "Callie, I read your file, you were abused too, that wasn't okay. You're innocent just like he is, they had no right to hurt you in anyway either." Miranda said with a concerned look on her face.

Callie stood in shock for a moment, and then turned back to Chance and began petting him, hoping to avoid answering the question.

Miranda saw straight through her plan, "You know Callie, you have to answer questions, this is all a part of your therapy. You canto try to evade my questions. I used to be great at avoiding questions, so I know all the tricks. Callie, you do know that thode people shouldn't have hurt you, yes? Please answer my question."

"I deserved it" Callie mumbled, in a tone barely above a whisper.

"What did you say?" Miranda asked, curiously.

"Because I deserved it! I deserved every minute of it, because I couldn't save Jude, and because I' m a bad person, okay? You happy now?!" Callie answered fiercly.

This time Miranda looked at the teen in disbelief before speaking, "Callie, honey, you did not deserve it. Those pepole that hurt you may have told you that, but that was them trying to justify their actions, actions that had no justification. I've known you like, an hour now, and just by your personality and the way you treat Chance, I can tell you're no where close to a bad person. You seem like a pretty awesome person to me."

Callie laughed bitterly and rolled her eyes. 'This woman doesn't even know me' she thought to herself.

"I'm sure thats what you tell all your patients here, that we're all sunshine and rainbows, but I can tell you right now, I'm nothing special. I could disappear right now, and no one would miss me." Callie stated with a scary amount of confidence.

Miranda rolled her eyes this time, "I read from your file that you have a little brother, and a wonderful foster family. You dont think they'd miss you?" Miranda asked.

"Not for long, and if they did, they'd get over it quickly." Callie answered somberly.

"I find that hard to believe. I've only known you for a little while, but I'd miss you if you were gone." Miranda replied.

Callie had never seen such a look filled with so much sincerity. She honestly couldn't convince herself that Miranda didnt mean what she had said. Callie felt a wetness on her cheek and swiped at her eyes. She hadnt even realized she'd been crying. Suddenly, Miranda hugged the teen. Callie tensed, and stood motionless for a second, before returning the hug, something she only did on rare occasions. As soon as they released, Callie turned back to Chance, trying not to look embarassed. She hadn't said that much in all of her therapy sessions combined, and out of no where this horse and this crazy girl were making her spill her guts. Chance nuzzled Callie'a arm and nickered softly. This barn was beginning to grow on Callie, but she didnt know how she felt about it.


	4. Chapter 4

**alright y'all chapter 4 is here! Its a longer chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! Keep reading and reviewing! I love reading your reactions to my writing! This chapter has a lot of stuff about horses, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself so you know that all the information is extremely accurate. I've worked with horses for over 11 years now, I started when I was 5. I know a lot about horses, please feel free to ask in the reviews or PM me. I also have worked at an Equine Assisted Therapy facility for over two years, and been taught basic horse training as well. Equine Assisted therapy is very beneficial and has been proven useful for many disorders, and mental disabilities. Okay, enough of my rambling! Here's chapter 4!**

The next day, Callie had Stef drop her off extra early to her therapy lesson. As soon as she had gotten home from the lesson the night before, Callie had not been able to stop talking about how fun it had been. Everyone in the family was baffled by Callie's new found enthusiasm. Stef and Lena shared smiles throughout dinner as Callie told them about Chance and Miranda. Callie, of course, left out the emotional part of the lesson, a little too embarrassed to tell anyone about that.

As Callie walked through the arena entrance, she took a long whiff of the barn scent that was slowly becoming her favorite smell. She practically skipped to Chance's stall, but didn't want to scare him by approaching too quickly. While walking to the stall, she bumped into Miranda, who was smiling from ear to ear as she led a beautiful gold colored horse into an empty stall.

"Hey Callie! Let me just put our newest addition, Rumba, into her stall and I'll meet you over at Chance's stall! Its good to see your smiling face, I hope your enthusiasm doesn't wear off, because we have a lot to learn today!" Miranda said excitedly. Not that Miranda played favorites or anything, but Callie seemed like an awesome girl who Miranda had already grown to like.

Callie nodded, "I cant wait!" She replied as she continued her walk to Chance's stall.

As she approached, Callie moved steadily, and stopped in front of Chance's door. Chance startled a little bit, and looked to the door. He visibly relaxed once he saw it was Callie. Chance ambled up to the door cautiously, and stuck his nose over the railing. The teen raised her hand slowly and let Chance blow into her hand before moving up farther and stroking Chance's forehead. Chance nickered and leaned in to Callie's touch, enjoying the attention. Callie swirled Chance's forelock around her finger and then rubbed over Chance's eyes. After some research she had done last night, Callie had learned that generally, horses loved getting scratched behind the ears and right above their eyes.

"How's it goin, my new friend?" Miranda asked from behind as she approached.

Callie almost startled again, just like yesterday when Miranda had snuck up behind her.

"Shit! I do that a lot. I gotta get better at that. I dont wanna scare the living daylights out of you everytime I walk up!" Miranda exclaimed.

Callie laughed and walked over to where Miranda was standing, "It's alright, I need to stop being so jumpy all the time I guess!"

Miranda shook her head, "No it's not your fault! Just a survival mechanism! You had to be on your toes all the time in foster care, and now its just a habit! A lot of horses here are the same way! I'm very good about not sneaking up on horses, because working with them comes so natural to me, but people are another story!" The woman finished.

Callie nodded, "I'm not so good with people either I suppose. I tend to come off a little cold."

Miranda chuckled, "Well, we all have our quirks I guess! What do ya say about gettin to work now? You got here early, so we might as well start early!" She said as she walked over to Chance's stall.

Miranda grabbed the halter off the hook next to the door, and Callie stayed back, expecting Miranda to halter Chance just as she had done yesterday, but to Callie's suprise, she turned around and handed it to the teen.

"You need to start doing this all on your own, after the first month, we count on you guys to retrieve and saddle your horses before our lessons!" Miranda explained.

Callie simply nodded, taking the halter, and walking up to the stall door. Chance poked out over the rail and lowered his head, seeing the halter in Callie's hand. Callie began to ease the halter on, just as Miranda had done the day before.

"Is this how you do it?" Callie asked, making sure she'd done everything correct as she fastened the clip.

"Yup! Perfect job! I think you might have a knack for this horse thing, Cal!" Miranda replied with a smile.

The statement made Callie's heart soar. Besides music and photography, Callie felt that she wasn't good at much, but maybe her whole life she'd just never had the chance to work with horses. Maybe this would be what she was meant to do.

Callie smiled and motioned for Miranda to hand her the lead rope. The curly haired woman did just that, and watched to make sure Callie clipped it on right the metal ring. Miranda backed away from the stall as Callie opened the door, and led Chance out. Callie walked out with her shoulders straight and her chin high, trying to put off a confident vibe even though she was nervous. Chance followed without a hitch, watching Callie with a curious expression.

"To the round pen again?" Callie questioned.

"Yupperoo! Today, you're going to learn different parts of the horse, how to saddle, and maybe, if we have time, how to lunge him, so that you can calm him down and get any nervous energy out of him. When you start riding, you should lunge him anytime he seems too anxious or jumpy." Miranda explained.

Callie's heart raced at the idea of riding, she was nervous, yet excited about learning how to ride. It seemed scary being all the way on top of a giant beast, knowing that any moment they could freak out or hurt you.

Miranda and Callie entered the round pen, this time Chance didnt even take a second look at the gate. After the trouble that Callie had had yesterday getting him in the pen, she had expected more difficulty today. She was pleasantly suprised that there had been none.

"Alright so let's get down to business, yeah? First let me show you how to tie a slip knot. This is an important lesson because you will tie Chance to a rail to saddle him up, and you need a slip knot to make sure if there were an emergency, that he could pull on it and he could get free so he wouldn't be trapped." Miranda said with a serious face.

Callie nodded, understanding the importance of the lesson, and watched closely as Miranda tied the slip knot. Miranda went slowly at first, to make sure Callie got it, then pulled the line. The knot came undone right away, and Callie was suprised, she hadn't known how easily the knot could give way. Miranda then passed the rope to Callie, and watched as Callie repeated the actions flawlessly.

"You payed close attention, good. I want to see that focus the entire lesson!" Miranda exclaimed as she patted Callie on the back.

"Alright, so let's move on to body parts. You need to know the basic anatomy of a horse to be able to be a knowledgable and smart rider." Miranda said.

"Uhm, well I kinda studied some stuff last night online, and I think I have the anatomy memorized." Callie said shyly. She didnt want to seem too excited about horses, even though she was.

Miranda chuckled at Callie's admission, "Callie, you're a pretty cool girl. Okay, show me what ya know!"

Callie pointed out all the body parts smoothly, without any hesitation. From the hocks, to the withers, to the poll, Callie knew it all.

Miranda stood with a wide-eyed expression. She hadn't expected Callie to be able to memorize that all in one night.

"Wow, uhm okay! That was very impressive. Do you happen to know the parts of the saddle and tack then too?" Miranda questioned, already knowing that Callie probably did.

Callie hesistated before nodding. Now she definitely seemed too enthusiastic, she thought to herself, embarrassed.

"Did you memorize the English tack, or the western tack?" Miranda asked curiously.

"Both. I didnt know which one I'd be using" Callie stated.

Miranda laughed as she replied, "Well its your choice which one you ride. I prefer western because its more laid back, and you can do rodeo events in the future, but some people like English because you get to jump and do dressage. It doesn't matter what you choose, its up to you!"

"Western, definitely. I think I'll enjoy more laid back stuff. I dont want to get into anything too fancy. I'm a pretty simple girl." Callie answered.

"Same here! And since you're doing western, you and I can go on trail rides together if you want! You need to meet my horse Windy. She's an wild mustang. I adopted her from the BLM and trained her myself." Miranda stated proudly.

Callie looked at her in awe. 'She had trained her own horse? I would love to do that someday' she thought to herself.

"Alright, enough about me and my horse, shall I show you how to saddle? And then we can lunge Chance after that?" Miranda questioned.

"Yes please!" Callie replied.

Later that night, Callie stayed oddly quiet at dinner, wrapped up in thoughts about Chance. Everyone in the family had expected her to talk their ears off again, so they were a bit confused by the silence.

"How were lessons today sweetheart? Was it okay that I dropped you off early?" Stef questioned, hoping for the enthusiastic Callie that they had seen the night before would resurface.

Callie snapped out of her daydream about riding Chance, and looked around the table at the expectant looks her foster family and Jude were giving her.

"They were awesome! And Miranda didnt mind me being there early! We finished our lesson before my time was up, so she introduced me to more horses! She said if I want to come early everyday, I could." Callie responded with a gleam of hope in her eyes.

Stef and Lena glanced at eachother and communicated their enthusiasm silently. They had never seen Callie come out of her shell like she had the past two days. They almost wished Dr. Hawthorne had mentioned Equine Therapy sooner. It seemed to make Callie more happy and relaxed than they had ever seen.

"Of course I can take you early! Shall your lessons be from 5:30-8 now instead of 6-8?" Stef asked.

Callie nodded for a minute then began to ask a question, "Could uhm, could- never mind" she stopped.

"No sweets, what is it?" Lena pushed.

"Well, I was actually wondering two things." Callie responded hesitantly. Even after the 7 months she'd been living in the Foster house, she hated asking for anything, which was why she rarely did.

"Go for it Callie girl, you can ask ya whatever you need." Stef ensured.

"Okay well, first of all, tomorrow is the first time I'll ride and I was wondering, ifyouwantedtocomewatchme..?" Callie asked quickly, without spacing out her words.

Callie steeled herself for the rejection she was sure would come. She kicked herself internally for even asking such a ridiculous question.

"Absolutely, sweets! We wouldn't miss it for the world!" Lena replied with enthusiasm.

Lena glanced over at Stef, who looked so happy she could burst.

Callie sat there baffled for a minute, before recovering and putting up her walls, acting indifferent, but secretly beaming on the inside.

"Okay, sounds good." Callie said coolly.

Lena smiled, knowing Callie was trying to play it off, "What was your second thing Callie?"

"Well, I noticed people at the barn all wear boots, and I go in my old beat up tennis shoes, so I was hoping that you could take me to the boot store so I can buy real riding boots with my allowance that I've saved up?" Callie asked hopefully again.

"Sounds like a plan! We'll go before your lesson tomorrow and pick you out a nice pair! Since you're going to be there a lot, you need to have the right stuff, yeah?" Stef asked casually, trying not to show her excitement on the outside. She didnt want to overwhelm Callie.

"Okay, Cool... Thanks Mo- Stef." Callie replied, with wide eyes.

She had almost called Stef mom. Callie looked back down at her plate, cheeks red, too embarrassed to look up. The family stared at her a second, before letting her off the hook and continuing with dinner as if nothing had happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**once again, I've recieved some more supportive reviews and pm's so thank you! This chapter has some heart filled moments with Stef and Callie, so I hope you like them!:) Another chapter should be up tomorrow! Love you all-KG **

**ps: i just saw how screwed up my first chapter was, it seems my Microsoft word program messed up and it left out some words which made my writing almost unintelligible. So thanks for sticking with me through that! I'm going to try to edit it so that it is actually possible to read it!**

**to Annie Bowes(Guest): Equine Assisted Therapy can help a wide range of disabilities and disorders including Autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, eating disorders, PTSD, and more! Depending on the disease or disability though, modified forms of Equine assisted therapy are used. Some facilities use trained therapy horses for people with down sydrome or cerebral palsy. This is still very beneficial, it just all depends on individual patient needs. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!**

Stef and Callie walked into the boot store near their house. Callie looked around, gleefully glancing at all the different boots. Stef saw Callie staring at a beautiful pair of square toe boots that had dark stitching and nice leather working. They were a little above Callie's price range, so she gave them one last longing glance before moving on to some simpler boots that were near what price she was looking for. Stef decided that Callie deserved to get the nicer pair that Callie had been staring at, so she went to go grab her size off of the shelf. Stef had almost reached the boots when she stopped abruptly, irritated at herself. She realized that she didn't know Callie's shoe size.

'Callie had lived with them almost 7 months, but she didnt know her own soon to be daughter's shoe size?' Stef asked herself.

Stef walked back over to where Callie was standing, "Hey bug, whats your shoe size?" She asked.

Callie looked at her curiously as she answered, "8 and a half."

Stef nodded and walked back over to the nice pair of boots. She grabbed an 8 and a half right off the shelf and turned towards the register before Callie tried to object.

Callie realized what she was doing and practically ran over to Stef.

"Stef, I dont have enough money for those, I'm getting a cheaper pair that are over there." Callie told Stef as she motioned to the boots on the other wall.

"Nope, I saw the way you looked at these Callie! You loved them! So, I'm getting them for you. Think of it as my first gift to you." Stef said with some finality.

Callie opened her mouth to reject again, but Stef shushed her before she could say anything, and wrapped the teen in a hug. Callie returned the hug without any hesitation, and Stef took that as a good sign.

"Thanks, Mom. This means the world to me." Callie spoke absentmindedly, before looking at Stef with wide-eyes, realizing what she had said.

Stef looked just as shocked, then a smile broke out on her face from ear to ear as she pulled Callie into the hug tighter.

Callie's face was red with embarrassment, but she meant what she had said, so she didnt try to take it back.

Stef had tears in her eyes, but tried to keep them in. She didnt want to embarrass Callie too much, or else she might be apprehensive to say it again.

They finally released from their hug, and Stef rubbed Callie's hair playfully, "Love you Cal" she said.

Callie chuckled and mumbled an "I love you too" though it was barely audible.

Stef and Callie finally walked up to the cash register and Stef set the boots up on the counter. The cashier scanned the bar code and Stef paid for the boots.

"Do you want a bag for these?" The cashier asked.

"No thank you!" Callie replied before Stef could even open her mouth.

Callie grabbed the boots off the counter and brought them over to a chair. She slid off her dirty tennis shoes and put the boots on quickly. Stef watched her, laughing at the teen's excitement. Callie stood up after she had put both boots on, and walked in front of Stef, to model her new shoes.

Stef clapped, "I guess you're almost a real cowgirl now. All you're missing is the hat!"

Callie laughed and walked over to Stef, pulling her in for another hug. Stef returned it, squeezing Callie tightly.

"Alright girl, what do ya say about heading over to the barn! Lena is supposed to meet us there in about half an hour so we can watch our Callie girl ride!" Stef said with a wink.

Callie smiled broadly and nodded.

They headed out of the store and got in the car.

They arrived at the barn, and Callie practically hopped out of the car before Stef could put it in park. Stef laughed, and got out next.

As they entered the barn, Stef saw a short, curly haired girl that ran right up and hugged Callie. Stef smiled, and then walked over to introduce herself.

"Hi there! I'm Miranda! You must be.. Stef? I've heard a lot about you!" Miranda said as she stuck her hand out for Stef to shake.

"Hey! I've heard some wonderful things about you as well!" Stef replied with a smile.

Callie grinned at them and then pointed towards the stalls, Miranda nodded, and then turned back to Stef. The blonde watched in confusion as Callie walked away towards the stalls.

"She's just going to saddle up Chance. Don't worry, she's a natural. She works so well with all the horses its hard to believe she's never worked with them before!" Miranda responded.

Stef nodded her head, understanding now, why Callie walked away.

"Did I see Callie in some boots? They look good on her!" Miranda exclaimed.

"Yes! We just bought them! She was pretty excited!" Stef replied, "I just wanted to tell you that Callie thinks the world of you. You've been a really good influence on her and its only been a couple days!"

Miranda grinned, "I'm glad I can help! Not that I'm supposed to pick favorites, but Callie is awesome. She reminds me of myself at her age." She replied.

Stef raised her eyebrows, "Really? Why is that?" She asked curiously.

"Well I was raised in foster care for 8 years. I acted like Callie a lot, indifferent and angry. I ended up with PTSD after I got out of the system, and horses pretty much saved my life." Miranda explained.

Stef stared at Miranda, the girl was so bright and energetic, Stef couldn't imagine her in foster care.

"You dont have to answer if you dont want to, but were you abused as well?" Stef asked, unable to contain herself.

Miranda nodded solemnly, and then lifted up her arm, showing Stef various scars of all shapes and sizes.

"These all came from various homes. The system failed me pretty badly. I went in when I was almost 11, a happy go-lucky kid, who had lost both of her parents in a plane crash, and came out of the system, 18 and bitter. I- uh, I was actually raped twice during my time in foster care. That kind of messed me up. I still have trust issues with men, I'm 21, and I have yet to have a real relationship." Miranda told Stef.

Stef rubbed the girls arm in a soothing manner, and looked at the girl, "You've come a long way. You should be proud of yourself. Not many people can recover from that type of trauma. And you dont need to have a relationship right now anyway, you're still young." Stef replied.

Miranda nodded with a sad smile, "Thanks, that means a lot! How about we go check on Callie, she should be just about saddled up!" Miranda said, kind of hoping to change the subject. She hated talking about her past, but she knew it'd be beneficial for Stef to hear her story.

"Sounds good! I cant wait to see her ride-" Stef was cut off by the sound of the barn door opening again.

Lena walked in the barn, with a huge smile on her face, and looked around. Her eyes lit up when she saw Stef and a curly headed woman she assumed was the imfamous Miranda.

"Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Lena, Stef's wife." Lena introduced herself.

Miranda shook Lena's hand and smiled, "I'm Miranda." She said.

They continued to make small talk as they walked over to Chance's stall. As they approached, Miranda warned the mothers not to make any sudden or jumpy movements, because Chance was still a little nervous from his old home. They understood, and slowed their pace some, not wanting to frighten the animal.

Callie stood inside the stall, with Chance on her right, all saddled and almost ready to go. Callie grabbed the bridle, and pushed the bit into Chance's mouth as she eased the leather straps around his cheeks and then pulled another leather strap over his ears, so that it was fully on his head. She then proceeded to check Chance's reins and then pulled open the stall door slowly, and led Chance through the threshold.

Stef and Lena watched in awe as Callie confidently led Chance, who followed Callie without a hitch. Chance seemed to fully trust Callie and her decisions as to where to go and what to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**okay so I'm not a big fan of this chapter, but here it is! My next update will be on Sunday, I'll make sure its a nice and long chapter for all my lovely followers!:) thank you so much for all your support! Read, enjoy, and Review! Love you all-KG**

**Callie put her foot in the stirrup, and hoisted herself into the saddle. She sat down and looked nervously at Miranda. Her hands were shaking, but she was trying not to show it. Miranda gave her a reassuring smile and walked up to Chance to make sure all of the tack was securely on and everything was nice and snug. **

**"Everything looks good, so I'm going to lead you around the ring for the first couple rounds, then I'll let you take the reins yourself. Everything is pretty simple, if you want him to turn left, pull the reins left and put some pressure in his side with your left leg, and vice verse with the right side. To stop, pull back the reins towards your belly button. And to make him speed up, make a kissing noise and knock him in his sides with both heels. Not too hard, but with some force."Miranda explained.**

**Callie nodded, "okay sounds good, I think I got it. We can start!" The teen said with a nervous smile.**

**Miranda took a lead rope and clipped it to Chance's bridle and began to walk around the edge of the arena, Stef and Lena watched, hands clutching one another, their eyes full of pride. **

**Callie had a giant smile on her face and was fully focused on Chance. After Miranda had walked then around twice, she unclipped the lead and patted Chance's neck. **

**"Alright Cal, you two are on your own, I'll be right in the middle of the arena instructing you what to do. If you get scared for any reason, tell me. Dont panic, or it makes the situation worse." Miranda instructed.**

**Callie nodded, and then clicked her heels into Chance's sides. Chance began walking slowly, as if sensing Callie's hesitation. **

**Callie kissed and tapped her heels again, sending Chance in to a trot. She bounced along with the rhythm as she rode, grinning broadly. Callie had never felt so free or in control.**

**She practically felt she was flying.**

**"Nice job Callie, now pull him back to a walk, you dont want to get him too riled up just yet!" Miranda said from the middle of the arena.**

**Callie pulled the reins to her belly button lightly, and Chance responded by slowing down obediently. Miranda nodded, and then continued to watch as they went around the ring again.**

**"Okay, bring him into a trot again, and then we're going to try out his lope." Miranda told Callie.**

**Callie tapped her heels and Chance sped up, and then she tapped again, and they were loping. Callie had thought she'd liked trotting, but loping was so much better. It was smooth and fast and Callie had never felt anything better. She didnt want to stop. **

**Chance tried to give a little buck out of excitement this snapped Callie out of her ecstatic daze, and she slowed down, afraid that Chance was going to buck her off.**

**"Its okay Callie, he was just excited, but good job slowing him down. He was getting a little faster than he needed to." Miranda praised.**

**Callie smiled and glanced over to look at Stef and Lena, they were waving at Callie and giving her a thumbs up. Callie beamed with pride and confidence. She never wanted to stop riding.**

**Callie continued riding Chance for about 30 minutes longer, not going any faster than a lope, but still fast enough that it made Callie's adrenaline rush.**

**After Callie had gotten off and untacked Chance, she rinsed him off with a hose and made sure he was dry before putting him back his stall with some fresh carrots as a treat.**

**Miranda and Callie hugged, and Miranda congratulated Callie on her great first ride. **

**After they walked out of the arena, Stef and Callie got in one car, and Lena got in hers and they headed towards the house. Callie was in such a great mood she felt as if she was on top of the world. **

**"So I'm guessing Miranda told you her back story, yeah?" Stef asked Callie, breaking a comfortable silence that had settled in the car.**

**Callie looked at Stef puzzled, "what do you mean? Back story?" She questioned.**

**"Miranda was in Foster care too growing up. She had a story very similar to yours. She didnt tell you?" Stef replied, slightly confused.**

**"No, she didnt. What do you mean similar to mine? She was abused?" Callie asked, disbelief evident in her tone.**

**Stef nodded, "Abused and, well uhm, raped" the blonde confirmed.**

**Callie felt her blood boil, "Miranda is so bright and nice and full of life, why would anyone do something like that to her. It makes me so angry. That's just not right." The teen replied with a fiery look in her eyes.**

**"Sweets, it was the exact same thing with you. Dont sound so suprised. There are a lot of messed up people out there Callie, who hurt innocent people like you and Miranda. And its not right. I would give an arm and a leg if it made it so no one else ever had to go through that sort of trauma again. And so that it had never happened to you... Or Miranda for that matter." Stef responded with just as much passion and anger as Callie had had.**

**"Miranda and I are completely different though. I-I'm messed up. I did deserve what happened to me, but Miranda definitely didn't." Callie said somberly.**

**Stef looked at her daughter in disbelief, "Callie honey, I dont know what people have told you, but if they said you deserved what had happened, they are dead wrong. You are one of the nicest, smartest, loyal, and amazing girls I know. I can honestly say that you inspire me everyday, by the way you take on life head on, deflecting anything it tried to throw at you." Stef urged.**

**Callie laughed. How could she, Callie Jacobs, inspire a cop? She asked herself. There was no way. **

**"There's no way I inspire you. You're a cop. You save lives, and me, a fucked up teenager with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, inspires you? Yeah right." Callie replied.**

**"You do. Everyday that you keep your chin up and perservere, you inspire me Callie girl." Stef said with tears in her eyes.**

**Callie shook her head still not believing. A hand slid into hers, squeezing it with reassurance. Callie glanced up at Stef, but did not move her hand away from Stef's.**

**Stef rubbed small circles on the back of her hand, trying to calm Callie and tell her that she was okay.**

**Callie finally responded, "I really inspire you? Truly? And dont lie to me. I can tell when people lie." **

**"Truly, absolutely, 110%. You inspire me." Stef replied with a scary amount of confidence. **

**Callie knew she wasn't lying, but she was still having trouble believing that she could inspire anyone.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alrighty, here's chapter 7! Hope you like it:) A little more Callie and Miranda interaction and a lot more Callie and Chance bonding! Please read and review:) Enjoy!**

**p.s. I'm considering bringing a boy into the mix here soon? Maybe one thats also a patient with PTSD that rides? If you think this is a good idea, let me know! I'm not going to make this a romantic fix though! Just so everyone knows!**

Callie glided on top of Chance, she'd never felt such an adrenaline rush that riding brings her. She gathers the reins and pushes Chance forward, digging her heels into his sides, and urging him to go into a gallop. Chance obediently does as he is told, and takes off. Callie hoots a cheer of excitement and bends down, getting closer to the saddle so that there is less resistance.

Miranda watches from the sidelines, rolling her eyes as Callie runs Chance, she'd never seen someone pick up riding as fast as Callie has. It's been a little less than 3 weeks since she began, and not only has the girl become a better rider, but her grades have shot up, and she's a lot more open with her family than she'd ever been before. Callie and Chance have become an inseparable pair. Callie dotes on Chance and always goes above and beyond to care for him the proper way.

"Why don't ya slow him down a little Callie? You guys have been running hard for 20 minutes now. You both could use a little break and a snack." Miranda shouted to Callie, hoping she'd hear.

Callie pulled the reins back slowly, and gradually brought Chance back to a walk. Both Callie and the horse were breathing heavily, but seemed very happy. Chance loved to run, and Callie loved to ride, so it worked out well. Callie brought Chance up to the railing and tied a slip knot to the rail. She then jogged over to the hose and grabbed a bucket, filling the bucket to the brim. She sloppily began walking back to Chance, sloshing water onto the ground and on herself. She laughed as she set the bucket down so Chance could slurp up some water. She glanced down at herself, and chuckled again. She'd completely soaked the bottom half of her jeans and gotten some water on her boots. Chance happily chugged some water, and Callie dipped her hands into the water, and then rubbed Chance's neck and forehead to cool him down. Miranda ambled on over, and handed Callie a bottle of water after she'd finished rubbing her horse.

"You looked great out there! This afternoon, do you want to go out on a little trail ride with Windy and I?" Miranda asked hopefully, she'd practically come to think of Callie as her little sister.

"Absolutely! I'm going to untack him for a bit and give him a nice, cool wash down since he worked so hard, and then I'll help you clean out some stalls. We could head out to the trail at like 4? It's 1 now." Callie replied.

"Sounds like a plan!" Miranda said. She began to walk away when Callie called her back.

"Uhm, my mom, she told me what happened, to you, in the foster system I mean. And I just wanted to tell you, that I understand how you feel. And if you uhm- ever needed to talk about it, with someone, I can listen. Even though I'm not very good at this sort of stuff, I-I just wanted you to know." Callie explained awkwardly.

Miranda smiled sweetly at the brunette, "Thanks Cal, that means a lot. You know you can talk to me too, right? Since I have kinda been in your position before." Miranda responded as she patted Callie's shoulder.

Callie nodded and then turned back to Chance. She undid the slip knot and then began walking towards his stall.

When Callie arrived at his stall, she tied him up again and began untacking Chance. She started with the saddle, by undoing the girth, and the breast collar. Chance was covered in foam and sweat around where his girth was, just behind his front shoulder. Callie pulled the saddle off of his back, leaving just the saddle blanket and saddle pad on him. She placed the saddle on the rack, and took off the two blankets, she laid those on the rack next to the saddle, upside down, so they could dry. When she was all done with his saddle, she took his halter and lead rope off of the wall and walked back over to the horse. She slid his bridle off of his face, and then removed the bit from his mouth. She quickly replaced it with the halter, and lead rope, typing him to the railing again. She patted Chance's face and rubbed her forehead on his. He nuzzled her and nickered softly, loving the attention that Callie gave him. She backed away again, grabbed the hose and began spraying him down.

*2 hours later*

A few hours later Callie tacked up Chance again and met Miranda over by the barn doors. Miranda casually led her horse, Windy, a beautiful buckskin Mustang, over to the doors and outside. Callie followed, and then hopped up on Chance once she got outside. Miranda had been promising to take Callie out on a trail ride for a week now, but she had yet to do so, so Callie was pretty excited to finally be going out.

They trotted along the fence line, and then entered the woods to get to the trail. Callie looked around happily at her surroundings. Besides Chance, she wasn't sure she'd seen anything more beautiful. Miranda looked back at her, and smiled at Callie's look of awe.

"What do you think about a little running to the top of this hill?" Miranda asked with a daring smile, the wild look in her eyes becoming even more prominent.

"I say, it's a race." Callie replied as she dug her heels into Chance's sides, and galloped away.

Miranda laughed, "It's on!" she yelled.

Miranda urged Windy into a gallop, knowing that Windy was way faster than Chance, and that they could catch up easily. Miranda finally passed Callie, gave a little wave, and kept going.

Callie looked at Windy's fading form in surprise. She hadn't expected Miranda to catch up so quickly. Callie sighed, knowing that Chance was going his top speed, and just kept running even though there was no chance they could beat Miranda.

When they reached the top, both girls fist bumped each other and laughed. They began walking, letting their horses catch their breath for a few.

"So, I kicked your ass." Miranda jokingly gloated at Callie.

"Yeah, well, that race was rigged. You had to have known that Windy is way faster than Chance." Callie joked back.

"Oh hell yeah I did. Chance is a big ole slow poke compared to my mustang here," Miranda replied as she patted Windy's neck.

"Whatever, you cheater. I'm going to train him more, we'll beat you eventually."Callie responded with a determined glint in her eyes.

"Hey, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you, I'm considering entering in a few rodeo's this summer, and I was wondering if you wanted to too. You and Chance would be awesome in some speed events, like barrel racing and pole bending. And if me and you work on it, we could do team roping, which is where two people work together to lasso a calf and tie it down. Whomever gets the fastest time out of all the teams win." Miranda enthusiastically explained.

"Oh my gosh, that sounds awesome, I'm in! Plus, there will be cute cowboys, won't there?" Callie winked at Miranda.

"Oh girl, you have no idea. Those cowboys are GOR-GEOUS." Miranda replied with a laugh.

"We can start training for rodeo next week then, yeah?" Callie asked excitedly.

"Hell, we'll start training tomorrow." Miranda fierily responded. Her wild eyes showed more excitement than ever before.


	8. Chapter 8

**sorry for the slight delay, but here is chapter 8! I got a suggestion in the reviews to have Miranda tell Callie her story, so here it is! There are sensitive topics in this chapter such as suicide, rape, and self-harm, so if you're sensitive to these topics, you're warned ahead of time. Next chapters will be focusing again on Callie and Miranda's rodeo training, and also more bonding with Chance!**

Callie and Miranda sat at a picnic table outside of the barn, eating their lunch before roping practice. Callie and Miranda had only grown closer in after the trail ride, and were practically sisters.

"So," started Callie, "wanna tell me your story finally? We've been friends for like a month now, and I still don't know about your life in the foster system." Callie asked hopefully.

Miranda sighed, she'd been expecting Callie to ask eventually, but she still hated telling her story. Over the past 4 years of her life, Miranda had only told her story to a handful of people. A few close friends, and Callie's mom Stef, were the only people who knew the truth of Miranda's life.

"Tell you what, I'll tell you my whole story, if I get to hear yours too. Not what your file tells me, but your actual story, from your point of view." Miranda offered.

Callie squinted her eyes and thought for a moment before nodding that she agreed to the deal. Callie figured if Miranda had already see her file, she knew the jist of what had happened to her anyway.

"Alrighty, well, when I was almost 10 years old, I was staying at my friends house for the weekend while my parents were on a cruise in Florida. On their way back home, their plane went down, and both died in the crash. I was crushed when I heard the news... It was like my whole world just came crashing down on top of me. I didnt have any brothers or sisters, and no other family to speak of, so the court ordered me into foster care." Miranda began, in an almost automatic tone. There was no emotions shown in her voice.

Callie noticed right away that Miranda's tone had changed. Her bright and cheery tone disappeared in the blink of an eye, and an indifferent time replaced it. The teen didn't like it one bit, but she understood the need to tune yourself out so that you wouldn't get worked up while telling the story.

"My first foster home came as quite a shock to me. The house was dirty and smelly and there were roaches and rats, it was horrible. The parents, they had 3 kids of their own already, and I was the only foster kid. They'd hit me a lot. For no reason at all. I'd simply be walking into the kitchen, and I'd get a blow to the head or the stomach. And they were always drunk. I stayed there for about 3 months before they moved me. I was so thankful to be out of that house. And my second home wasnt all that bad, I had to do a lot of chores, but they never hit me. They yelled a lot though, and called me horrible names, but I could handle that too. That was one of my longest stays at a home, nearly a year there, before I got moved again." Miranda continued.

Callie sat there listening to Miranda's story, frowning as the curly haired woman continued. She couldn't help but compare her story to Miranda's and much to Callie's dismay, they sounded very similar.

"My third home wasn't all that bad either. The parents were strict, but they weren't abusive unless they'd been drinking. I learned to stay up in my room for hours at a time to avoid them when they were drunk. I stayed there for about another year. By this time I was almost thirteen, and completely over the foster system. I gave up hope that I'd ever find a good home. And I was also in a very bad state of mind." Miranda stated as she glanced up at Callie, gauging her reaction.

Callie sat there, still suprised at how much their stories were the same. The teen nodded for Miranda to keep going, so she did.

"Uhm, my fourth foster home, I was 13, and the parents didn't pay all that much attention to me, which I didnt mind. But about 3 weeks into living there. The dad.. He uhm.. He started coming into my room at night. He would touch me, and take advantage of me, and I knew it wasn't right, but I didnt know what to do. About two weeks after he began coming into my room, he-he raped me, and I was a wreck. I couldn't even function the next day. The mom, she had no idea what was going on, so she called my social worker, and I was just curled up in my bed, I wouldn't speak, or eat, or drink, and once my social worker was with me alone, I told her everything. She didnt believe me at first, but she could finally tell from my tears and my reaction that I wasn't making it up. So they sent me to a group home for awhile." Miranda said, with tears streaming down her face. That was one of the hardest parts of her story to tell, but she usually got through it without any crying.

Callie sat across from her, biting her lip, trying to contain the fury building up inside. The teen felt a strange need to protect Miranda just as she had with Jude. Miranda had this amazing and bright spirit that seemed untainted by the evil of the world, and Callie didnt understand how Miranda had kept such a trait like that after all the years in foster care. Jude had only kept it because Callie made sure that he would, but Miranda had had no one to protect her, and it made Callie furious.

Callie got up and slid around the table to sit next to Miranda, she hugged the curly haired woman's shoulder tightly and rubbed her back. Even though Callie was not very good at physical affection, she knew that when Stef or Lena comforted her, this is what she liked them to do. Miranda hugged Callie back, and continued to cry silently. Callie's fury disappated into sadness, until tears were streaming down her face as well. When the hug finally seperated, Miranda smiled gratefully at Callie, silently thanking her for the comfort. Callie nodded her head and wiped away the stray tears still on her cheeks, not wanting anyone to see her cry.

Miranda realized this, and called her on it, "you know Callie, its okay to cry. I just cried, a lot, and even though I'm embarrassed, and most of my instincts tell me to hide my tears, I know that it's okay to cry." Miranda assured her while rubbing her shoulder.

Callie nodded, "I know everyone keeps telling me that, but I guess old habits die hard." Callie responded with a laugh.

Miranda chuckled as she replied, "well, shall I keep going with my sob story or have you heard enough?" The wild eyed girl said, hoping Callie would let her off.

"No, no. I want the whole story, you dont have to hold anything back for my sake. I've experienced most of this as well." Callie answered.

"Thats what I expected, okay, so my fifth and sixth homes were both group homes. Both of which sucked imensly. I went into the group homes when I was 13, and stayed til I was 16, and then I was placed into another foster home. That seventh one was probably the best I'd ever had. They were pretty much normal parents, I had a lot of freedom, and they treated me well. They were considering adopting me when the dad, Jon, lost his job, and had to find a new one. They ended up having to move to New York, and I ended up in another home when I was 17." Miranda continued on again.

"My eighth and final home, was decent, not as good as my seventh, but overall okay. I got smacked around a few times, but I was used to it by then. And then, I aged out of the system. They gave me a little starting money, so I got a job at a Dog kennel, and lived in a tiny apartment, but honestly, I was scared to death to live alone. I was self-harming and I considered suicide, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then one day on t.v. i heard an advertisement for Equine Assisted Therapy, and I started going there at Dr. Hawthornes suggestion. I fell in love with it, and studied to become a trainer. I became an official trainer about 6 months ago, and have been working here ever since." Miranda finished.

Callie smiled at Miranda. And rubbed her back again.

"You, my friend, are amazing. I cant believe you overcame all of that and became someone like this." Callie replied.

Miranda shrugged it off, "Sometimes its hard, but you just have to keep moving forward. A lesson, that you have yet to learn Callie Jacob." Miranda said as she cracked a smile.

Callie laughed, and nodded her head, "I know, I know." She admitted.

Miranda cleared her throat, "If I remember correctly, you promised me you'd tell your story now." Calling out the teen.

"Alright, Alright. But no crying. I dont want pity, I'm just telling you because you're my friend and you deserve to know." Callie finally admitted.

Miranda nodded this time, and motioned for Callie to start.

"Uhm, well when I was 10, my parents were driving home one night from dinner. My dad was drunk driving and hit another car head on, which killed everyone in the car and my mother. He got sentenced to prison for 25 to life for manslaughter. We had no other family, so my younger brother Jude and I were put into foster care. My home life hadn't been perfect to begin with, so foster care was all that shocking for me at first." Callie began.

Miranda gave a reassuring smile to the brunette, and Callie continued on.

"My first two foster homes were okay. I was slapped and kicked sometimes, but nothing too horrible. I always made sure Jude was taken care of, no one ever hurt him if I could stop it. We lived at the first two for a two a piece. And then when I was 15 we moved into our third home. This home had been really good. No one beat us, and the older brother, he was really cool. We would hang out a lot and he would make me feel really special, but then it started getting progressively less friendly and more intimate. He'd kiss me and hug me, and i didnt mind all that much, because I sorta liked him. But then, he- he came in one night, and told me he wanted to have sex with me. I told him that I wasn't ready. And that I didnt want to, but he wouldn't listen. He, uhm, forced me to have sex with him, and he kept threatening to hurt Jude everytime I cried out, so I stopped. After he was done, he threatened me again, and I was terrified. I stayed quiet about it, and never told a soul. I didnt call my social worker because Jude was safe at this home, and I didnt want to jeopardize that, and I also didnt want to get seperated from him. So Liam, the boy, continued to rape me, every night for about three weeks, until one night his mom caught us and Liam told her that it was my fault. She believed him, and for awhile, I thought it was my fault." Callie explained.

Miranda shook her head, "But now you know it wasn't your fault, yeah? It was all his."

"I know that now, its just hard to tell myself sometimes because I led him on by letting him kiss me." Callie replied solemnly.

"That doesn't matter Cal. No means no, and he had no right to do that to you." Miranda responded fiercely.

"I know, I know. But anyways, so we got moved out of that home, and into a few more, 3 i think. The first two were both verbally and physically abusive, and it took a toll on me, but I stayed strong for Jude. He was my sole reason to live. In my seventh home, we lived with a guy, and he was pretty abusive. He hit me sometimes, but it was no big deal. But one night he caught Jude putting on one of his ex-wives dresses. He started beating the crap out of him. I ran upstairs as fast as I could, and tried to stop him, but he kicked me in the stomach and I fell down. I ran back downstairs, and took a baseball bat and started beating the shit out of his truck, and he flipped out, and called the cops. He told him I went ballistic, and they took me off to Juvie. Jude was stuck all alone in that house with that man for a month and there was nothing I could do about it. When I finally got out, thats when I got to Stef and Lena's family. That second day, I snuck out and my foster brother Brandon came with me, we went to rescue Jude from that house. Stef, tracked Brandon's phone, and found us. The guy had just pulled a gun on us, and was aiming it at Brandon and I before Stef stormed in. Right when she came in, I got Jude, and made sure he was okay. I figured I'd get sent back to Juvie after that fiasco, but I didnt care as long as Jude was safe. Stef and Lena kept us though, and now, here I am." Callie finally finished.

"You're very brave as well Callie Jacob. More brave than you give yourself credit for. Jude is not the only one who matters though, you matter too, ya know?" Miranda asked Callie.

Callie sighed, "I mean, I guess I know I matter, but in my mind, Jude will always come first. I'd give my life in a second for him if need be. I guess I kind of adapted the role as his mother while I was in foster care, and its not a role that is going to change quickly. But now, in the Fosters, its even worse, because I love every single member of the Foster family, and I'd give my life for any of them at anytime if I had to." Callie replied.

"Cals, its not your position to do that, but its very noble of you. You take care of the ones you love and I understand that, but I'm still confused at one thing?" Miranda responded.

"What are you confused about?" Callie asked, puzzled.

"Who takes care of you?" Miranda questioned as she rubbed Callie's shoulder.

Callie rolled her eyes, "I can take care of myself. I have for almost 7 years now." She replied.

"Whatever, Callie. You gotta have someone lookin out for you too. And now you have 7 people doing just that." Miranda said enthusiastically.

"Seven? There's only 6 people in my family." Callie asked, confused.

"Your family is 6, and then you gotta add me." Miranda said with a wink.

Callie laughed and stuck out her hand, with only her pinky extended, "I'll look out for you if you look out for me. Pinky promise." The brunette responded.

Miranda extended her hand, put out her pinky and linked it with Callie's,

"Pinky promise." Miranda replied


	9. Chapter 9

**alright yall! Chapter 9! It might be A few days before I update again because this week is final exams at my school, but I'll make sure I get a few updates in! Thanks for all your support! Please continue to read and review! I love seeing your feedback and advice! Love you all!- KG**

Miranda watched Callie practice her roping skills. Over the past week, they'd become fairly decent at roping.

"Hey, why dont you try roping while you're on Chance now? You gotta see how he reacts to you throwing a rope while you're on his back." Miranda suggested.

Callie nodded, "Alright I'll go get him."

As Callie walked to where Chance was tied up, her hands began to shake a bit. She was really nervous to see how Chance could react to the roping. He may be freaked out at first, and Callie could fall of or get bucked off. She'd been riding for a little over a month now, and she hadn't come off yet, but she'd been nervously anticipating for the time when she will. She'd heard a saying while she was in the barn a couple weeks ago, "Its not if you'll come off your horse, but WHEN." And it had freaked her out a bit.

Callie untied Chance and walked him back over to the arena. She picked up her lasso, and held it up to Chance so that he could smell it and get used to it. He sniffed it once warily, but then seemed unbothered by it. Callie held the rope in one had as she mounted up and swung her leg over to the other side of the saddle so that she was seated. She took her reins in one hand instead of her normal two, which was kind of an adjustment.

Callie began trotting Chance around the arena, letting him loosen up and get his nerves out. Then she brought him up into a lope, which he loved. He picked up speed right away and they glided effortlessly around.

Finally, Callie readied her rope, glanced at Miranda, and then threw it at the roping dummy. Immediatly, Chance began trying to run away, his wide eyes looking around in panic as he crow hopped and reared up. Callie held on tightly to Chance's saddle, but there was nothing she could do, she felt herself falling backwards towards the ground and she prepared herself for a rough landing.

Callie hit the ground with a thud, but didn't yell out in pain. Miranda was up and running towards Callie before the teen even hit the ground. Chance was panicked, running along the edge of the arena, but noticed Callie lying on the ground. He whinnied at Callie, and wanted to come forward to see her, but he was still scared.

Chance and Miranda reached Callie at the same time. The teen was sitting up in the dirt and brushing herself off. Miranda breathed a sigh of relief that Callie was okay, and kneeled down to her level right as Chance brought his head down to Callie and nudged her.

Callie laughed, and rubbed Chance's forehead. He nickered softly, and rubbed his face against Callie's shoulder.

"You okay, Cals? You scared me!" Miranda asked worriedly, and she grabbed Callie's hand and lifted her up off of the ground.

"I'm okay, just a little sore."

Callie replied, brushing off the concern Miranda had.

Callie was still very freaked out though, the fall had scared her more than she'd have liked to admit. When Callie was fully standing again, she reached over and gave Miranda a hug, suprising the woman, and herself. Miranda recovered and hugged her back right away, knowing that Callie was probably just freaked out about falling off.

"It's alright hon. You're alright and Chance is okay. It happens." Miranda said as she rubbed Callie's back comfortingly.

Callie felt a tear roll down her cheek, and then another. Her emotions were all a mess from shock from the fall, and she couldn't seem to control them.

As they seperated, Miranda saw the tears on Callie's face and wiped them off with her thumb.

"Okay, so you might not like this, but you need to get back on Chance right now and atleast ride him around the ring once. If you dont get on now, right after the fall, you might never get on again. I've seen it happen more than once, people let their fear get the best of them, and they quit riding." Miranda urged as she walked Callie over to Chance's side so that the girl could mount up once more.

Callie looked at Miranda, alarmed.

But she figured if Miranda said she needed to get on, than she would. The teens hands shook uncontrollably as she got back on the horse and grabbed her reins. Chance seemed just as high strung and nervous, but didnt spook or do anything to scare Callie.

"Alright honey, you got this. Just trot him around the arena once or twice, then if you want to quit riding for the day, you're more than welcome to!" The curly haired woman assured Callie.

The teen nodded and kicked her heels into Chance's side, urging him into a walk, and then a trot. Chance was wary, but did as he was told.

Callie and Chance made their way across the arena again, and together they tried to get over the little incident that had just occurred.

Callie's hands were still shaking and she was still scared out of her mind, but she wasn't going to let the fear win. She loved riding too much to give it up after just one little fall. She urged Chance into a lope, knowing that this would be the scariest part because she'd fallen off while they were loping. Chance once again listened obediently and loped around the arena. Callie swallowed her fear, and let herself enjoy the freeing feeling of running on Chance.

After they had riden for about half an hour, Callie decided to call it quits because she was so sore. She dismounted and untacked Chance, and then gave him a bath. Almost as if knowing he'd scared Callie, he sweetly nudged her and rubbed her and nickered the whole time. Eventually, Callie took Chance to his stall, and kissed his nose before going back out to say goodbye to Miranda for the night.

Callie was lost in thought, thinking about the fall, when she felt someone bump into her.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, didnt mean to run into you!" Callie apologized and she turned around to see the person she'd bumped.

When she saw it was a cute, dark haired boy in a cowboy hat, her heart sped up and she stared at him, distracted by his good looks.

"It's all good darlin' I wasn't watchin' where I was goin ether." The boy replied with a thick southern drawl.

Callie thought her heart must've stopped for sure, because she'd never seen such a good looking boy before, and he had the cutest southern accent she'd ever heard.

"I'm Levi by the way, I just started here." The boy said as he stuck out his hand to shake Callie's.

"I-I'm Callie, nice to meet you." The teen replied as she shook Levi's hand.

Their hands held a little longer than socially accepted, and Callie noticed right away, smiling to herself.

"Well, I gotta go say goodbye to my new horse, Lucky, and put all my stuff away, but I'll see ya tomorrow?" Levi asked, hopefully.

"I'll be here. I'm pretty much here everyday. And my horse is in the stall right next to yours. My horse's name is Chance." Callie responded with a smile.

"Okay, cool! See ya tomorrow then, Callie!" Levi replied, and then began to walk away.

Callie started walking towards the exit, but she glanced back to see Levi's retreating figure. She blushed as she realized he was doing the same to her, and they made eye contact one last time.

**I wanted to include this chapter about Callie falling, because I had my first fall about 3 years ago, after 8 years of riding. And honestly, it was terrifying. I got a severe concussion, and lost 3 hours of memory, I dont even remember falling off the horse, or going out to ride, or going to the hospital. I still continue to ride, because I love it and I'm extrememly passionate about it, but it's still nerve racking sometimes becaUse I constantly have to worry about getting another concussion.**


	10. Chapter 10

**okay so this is just a short little filler chapter, I'm sorry, but it was necessary for the plot! The next chapter is probably going to be rather long, and drama-filled for Callie, so be ready! Thanks for all your reviews! Keep em comin! I love to see your feedback! -KG**

**Callie walked to Chance's stall he next day, feeling a little sore, yet suprisingly refreshed after a good nights sleep. The teen felt a bubble of anxiety in her stomach, but she couldn't figure out why until she passed Lucky's stall and saw Levi standing inside. Callie's heart skipped a beat and she gave the boy a small wave as he glanced up and saw her walking by.**

**"How's it goin, darlin? Callie, right?" Levi asked with his southern drawl.**

**"Yup, Levi right? I'm pretty good! How are you?" Callie replied, trying to be nonchalant.**

**"I'm better now. So, you gonna teach me how to saddle this thing? Cause I'm not sure I know." Levi responded with a slightly embarrassed tone.**

**"No problem, I'll grab Chance and we can do it together, yeah?" Callie suggested as she continued to Chance's stall.**

**The teen grabbed a treat out of her back pocket that she'd been saving for Chace and grabbed his halter in her other hand. Chance walked right up to the stall door, and stuck his head out, patiently waiting for Callie to put his halter on. His eyes lit up when he saw the treat in her hand, and gratefully accepted it with an appreciative nicker.**

**"How's my favorite boy?" Callie said to Chance as she slid on his halter and kissed his nose.**

**She clipped his lead rope and led him over to where Levi was waiting with Lucky.**

**"Here, let's go over to the arena near the tack room and grab our saddles. You do ride western, right?" Callie questioned.**

**"Yup! I believe so! I'll follow you!" Levi replied with a nod.**

**Once they reached the fence, Callie taught Levi the slip knot and they tied their horses to the railing. As they walked over to grab their saddles, Callie could sense Levi looking at her.**

**"Is there a reason you're staring at me?" Callie asked bluntly with butterflies forming in her stomach.**

**Levi coughed in suprise as Callie called him out.**

**"S-sorry. I didnt realize it was so obvious. You're just really pretty." Levi replied, still shocked.**

**Callie blushed, "Well, thank you Levi. You're not so bad yourself." She responded.**

**Levi laughed and opened the door to the tack room for Callie.**

**"Well, aren't you quite the gentleman!" Callie teased.**

**"It's the way I was raised. My momma didnt put up with any disrespect, and she taught me a lot about being a gentleman." Levi replied with a shrug.**

**Callie stared at the boy in suprise. She had only been teasing, but he answered back very seriously.**

**As Callie went to grab her saddle, Levi intercepted and hefted hers up on his shoulder.**

**"What are you doing? You cant carry both our saddles!" Callie said as she motioned for him to give her the saddle back.**

**"I can get both darlin, if you'll carry our bridles and blankets? If I'm here to help I'm not going to make you carry 'round this heavy thing." Levi replied earnestly.**

**Callie rolled her eyes, thinking he was just putting up a chivarlous act to impress her. The brunette grabbed both bridles and blankets and followed Levi back to the the horses. **

**As they saddled up, Callie could still feel Levi's eyes on her every now and then but she didnt mention it. Callie have Levi a few quick pointers on how to saddle, but he picked it up quickly, and soon they were both walking around the arena on their horses. **

**"Hey Callie! I see you met Levi! I'm glad you helped him out! We had a problem with a horse and I wasnt there to show him some things, but I was hoping you'd pick up my slack! I'm not disappointed!" Miranda said to Callie as she walked up to the rail of the arena. **

**Callie smiled and nodded as she walked Chance up to where Miranda was standing, Levi continued riding around the arena, giving the girls room to talk.**

**"It was no problem! Levi's pretty cool." Callie replied.**

**Miranda nodded but gave the teen a wary look before replacing it with her normal bright expression.**

**"Hey I need to talk to you in a few by the way! We need to start more rodeo training again tomorrow. And you have an evaluation next week with Dr. Hawthorne to make sure this therapy is working for you. I've already put in my good reports, but she just wants to check in with you since it's been almost a month an a half since you've started." Miranda explained.**

**"Ugh, stupid evaluations. And what time tomorrow for rodeo training?" Callie asked.**

**"Around 2, but you'll already be there then anyway, so it wont matter." Miranda said.**

**Callie nodded then continued riding, catching up to where Levi was.**

**"How do you like Lucky?" Callie said to Levi as she came shoulder to shoulder with him again.**

**"He's alright. We're still getting used to eachother. This barn has become more appealing to me since yesterday though." Levi replied.**

**"Whats that?" Callie questioned, confused.**

**"You" Levi replied with a blush.**

**Callie blushed even harder and shook her head.**

**"I'm not that great" the brunette said back.**

**"That seems highly doubtful to me." Levi replied with a sweet smile.**

**Callie laughed, "Whatever you say, cowboy." She teased.**

**"Callie, would you like to go on a date with me sometime? Outside of the barn, that is." Levi asked, hope in his eyes, and butterflies in his stomach.**

**Callie thought for a second, her thoughts flashing back to Brandon, before nodding and smiling back.**

**"I think I'd like that Levi." Callie said.**


	11. Chapter 11

**alrighty! Here's chapter 11 as promised, full of drama! Hope you enjoy! Love- KG**

As Callie was putting all of her tack away a few hours later, she heard Miranda come in the room, and stand behind her.

"Hey Miranda, what's up?" Callie asked, trying to be nonchalant but starting to get worried because of the look on Miranda's face.

"Are you and Levi going out on a date?" Miranda questioned sternly.

Callie nodded, still unsure of what was wrong.

"Callie, I'm trying to give you a fair warning here, but Levi is here because of his major anger issues and some post traumatic stress. Levi has no sense of control when he's angry and he tends to blow up and hurt people. I dont really want you around that." Miranda finished her explanation.

Callie rolled her eyes internally, she didnt need someone telling her who she can and can't date.

"Miranda, I'm grateful for your concern, but Levi has treated me with nothing but respect so far, and I think he deserves a chance. If you're just looking at his file and then telling me this, then you should probably look at mine too, because it says I have anger issues, and I'm sexually volatile, and I'm an irresponsible teenager, all of which, I am not, nor have I ever been." Callie said as she stood her ground.

Miranda stood there a little wide-eyed, surprised at Callie's sudden outburst, which was all actually true.

"Uh-uhm, " Miranda stuttered, still in shock, "I'm sorry Callie, I didnt mean to make you mad. I-I was just trying to look out for you. You're like the little sister I never got to have, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I understand, I'm the same way with Jude, so I get it. And you know I think of you like a sister too, I-I just hate when people try to make decisions for me after all I've been through in the system, and I just blew up. I hope I didnt make you mad either." Callie apologized as she hugged Miranda.

"No, no, you had a right to call me out when I was wrong. I try to never judge people by their file and thats exactly what I did with Levi. It wasn't right." Miranda confirmed as she patted the teens shoulder.

"Is that why you gave me a weird look earlier when I was talking to Levi?" Callie questioned as she put the pieces together.

Miranda glanced away guiltily, and nodded.

Callie laughed, "It's okay Miranda, thanks for looking out for me."

"No problem, when are you guys going out?" Miranda asked, trying to be excited to show Callie her support.

"Tomorrow, I think. I'm nervous. I dont have the best track record with relationships. The world likes to work against me, and thats especially true with relationships." Callie said with a sigh.

"You'll be fine, if its meant to be, it'll work out." Miranda assured the brunette.

Callie nodded but still had a solemn look in her eyes.

"Hey, buck up girl, you got yourself a date with a gorgeous country boy tomorrow! Don't worry yourself to death over it!" Miranda said with a smile.

"Alright, Alright. Now I just gotta figure out what to wear. I guess I better ask Mariana." Callie replied with a laugh.

"Good idea, because I obviously have no sense of fashion." Miranda said with a laugh as she motioned down to her jeans, boots and t-shirt.

Callie shook her head as she chuckled, and then said bye to Miranda, making her way out to Stef's car. She hoped her moms would be okay with her dating a new guy.

**The Fosters The Fosters**

"Hey, Cals, how was riding?" Stef asked with a smile.

"Good! Actually, I got asked out on a date, by a guy that goes here. I mean, if thats okay with you. If its not its totally fine." Callie replied hesitantly, trying to avoid any disappointment that she felt was eminent.

"Sure honey thats fine! Do I get to meet him? Whats his name? Whats he like?" Stef responded excitedly.

The blonde was genuinely excited. Callie rarely asked for anything, and to ask if she could go out on a date was quite a big deal.

Callie gave a grateful smile as she began describing the boy, "Well, his name is Levi, he just started here, he's a country boy, and he's got this adorable southern accent, and he's a gentleman, and he opens up all the doors and gets all my stuff for me, and he seems really sweet." The teen gushed, suprisingly out of character.

Her eyes went wide as she realized the extent of the information she revealed to Stef, which was quite a lot.

Stef laughed, "Well sweets, I cant wait to meet him. He sounds like a wonderful boy. Do you, by chance, happen to know why he's a patient here?" The cop asked out of curiousity.

"Uhm, well he has anger issues I guess, and then all the same stuff as me, like PTSD." Callie replied apprehensively.

"Well, cool! What do you think you guys are going to do?" Stef questioned again.

"I'm not sure, he didnt mention anything in particular." Callie said as she started to tune out. She'd had enough questioning and caring for the day, and she was still trying to get used to the fact like Stef and Miranda actually cared about what was happening to her.

Stef could sense that she was losing Callie's focus, and decided to stop asking anymore questions. The teen wasn't really used to too much concern or questions, and the cop had to keep that in mind. She put her hand on Callie's knee though, letting Callie know that she was there if she needed anything.

Callie leaned her head against the window and watched the passing surroundings, lost in thought.

**The Fosters The Fosters**

Callie woke up, drenched in sweat, laying in her bed. She'd had a horrible nightmare about one of her previous foster dads, who had had severe anger issues. He once beat Callie within an inch of her life, breaking three ribs and her foot in the process.

As the teen sat there trying to calm down, she wondered if she'd had that dream because of the warning Miranda had given her about Levi's anger problems. Callie knew that if he really did have issues with controlling his anger, she probably wouldn't date him, not only because of her bad experiences with past men who had anger issues, but also because of the fact that she had enough trouble dealing with her own emotions as it was.

The teen hopped out of bed quietly to get a drink of water. Her mind was still racing, and she felt like she might have a panic attack, but she didnt want to wake Mariana or anyone else up when it happened.

As she walked down stairs, her hands began to shake worse and worse. She had to figure out something to calm herself down, or she was going to have a major panic attack. She hadn't had one in quite awhile, but she knew it was bound to happen again eventually. The teen wanted to walk to the fridge to get some water, but her body began shaking so bad, she could barely stand up, let alone walk.

Her mind kept flashing back to the day her foster dad had blown up on her. He's gone beserk, and she could still see his eyes. The fierce way they had looked at Callie, the look that had spoke louder than a thousand words, that she was a worthless piece of trash, who no one would care about if she'd have died. Sadly, besides Jude, that had been true at the time. No one had given a damn about Callie for the past 6 years up until now.

Callie collapsed onto the floor, well in full panic attack mode by this time. She felt as though she just couldn't get enough air into her lungs to breath. She was trying to control it, but she couldn't, and she felt so helpless, and to Callie, that is the worst feeling in the world.

Stef jolted awake when she thought she heard some commotion down stairs. She glanced at her clock on the night stand, and it told her it was 2:37 a.m. Her cop instincts kicked in, and as she slid out of bed, she woke up Lena.

"Honey, whats wrong? Where are you going?" Lena asked groggily.

"I think either someone's in the house, or one of the kids is down stairs. I'm going to head down to find out." Stef replied in a whisper.

This statement brought Lena to attention, and she sat up in bed and watched Stef make her way out of the room quietly. Lena waited a moment before getting up out of the bed and following her wife. Lena heard Stef gasp from downstairs, and before the cop could say another word, Lena was right by her side. Lena gasped as well when she saw Callie on the floor, having a panic attack. Stef kneeled down next to her instantly, and Lena went quickly to go get a glass of water and a cold wash rag.

"Shhh, Callie, Callie baby, you need to relax and try to breathe. I got ya, nothing bad is going to happen to you love." Stef whispered to the teen as Lena returned as fast as she could with the water and rag.

Lena sat down next to her wife and daughter and began stroking Callie's hair. Callie quietly whimpered, her eyes wide and scared. Slowly, she calmed down enough as Stef and Lena both soothed her. Once she wasn't hyperventilating anymore, Lena placed the wet rag around Callie's neck, and motioned for her to drink some water. Callie did as she was told obidiently, but stared up at Stef and Lena, still a little wary.

When she was finally calm, Stef wrapped her arms around the teen in a hug.

"Honey, are you alright? What happened?" Stef asked worriedly.

"I-I uhh, I just had a bad dream is all. It was dumb." Callie replied trying to shake off Stef's and Lena's concern.

"Sweets, I'm sorry, but that didnt look dumb, that looked like you were scared out of your mind. Why didnt you come get us? What was the dream about, babe?" Lena questioned as she rubbed Callie's back in small soothing circles.

"Uhm, well it was just about a previous foster home, dont worry, it happens all the time. Usually I can calm down before I have a panic attack but I couldn't this time. And I didnt want to wake you guys up." Callie replied guiltily as she looked down at the ground.

"Callie, you can always wake us up! Anytime you need, for Anything. Thats what mothers are for!" Stef assured the teen.

Callie nodded, but still thought to herself that she didnt need to wake them up, because she could rely on herself.

"Let's get you back in bed sweets. Its only 2 a.m." Lena said as she helped Callie up to her feet.

As the three women walked back up, Stef couldn't help but sigh. It was going to take a long time before Callie let her walls come down so that they could help her. The teen had relied on herself for too long and now that she had someone to come to, she didnt know what to do.

Lena and Stef took Callie to her room and tucked her back in. They kissed her head, said good night, but as they were making thier way out the door, Callie mumbled something.

"What'd ya say love?" Stef asked.

"I love you guys." Callie repeated groggily, and before either of the moms could say anything, Callie was out like a light.

**Next chapter will be in a few days:) and that will be some more Chance and Callie bonding time, and then Levi and Callie's date! **


	12. Chapter 12

**heres chapter 12! I was going to include the date in this chapter, but I decided to make that all of next chapter, I made this chapter some bonding time between Miranda and Callie, and Callie and Chance! I hope you like it! Please read and tell me what you think:) love- KG**

Callie took a deep breath in of her favorite smell; the barn. She'd never felt so at home in one place before. Chance nudged Callie's arm, bringing her attention back to him. She rubbed his nose lightly, and kissed to him softly. Chance nickered in response and leaned into her touch.

In the month and 3 weeks since Chance and Callie had known eachother, they'd grown increasingly close. The two could sense eachothers thoughts and actions immediatly, and they worked together like a well oiled machine.

Callie motioned for Chance to follow her to the railing so she could tack up and saddle him, and he did so obediently.

"How's it goin, Callie girl?" Miranda asked as she led Windy up to the same rail to saddle up.

Callie jumped a little in suprise but recovered quickly, "I'm good, how are you Ran? It feels like its been ages since I saw you...

Even though it was just yesterday." Callie replied with a laugh.

"I know! You ready for some rodeo practice today? We're gonna kick some butt!" Miranda exclaimed.

Callie laughed again and nodded, and continued to tack up Chance.

After she had finished, she led the bit black horse to the center of the arena and mounted.

"Good boy!" Callie praised Chance quietly. The horse nickered in response.

As Callie warmed up Chance around the ring, Miranda finished racking up Windy, and then went to retrieve the new ropes for team roping that she'd bought as a surprise for Callie. Miranda's was pink, and Callie's was a light blue. After she'd retrieved both ropes she walked back over to Windy and mounted.

"Whatcha got there?" Callie asked as Miranda trotted over to her on Windy.

"Well, I thought I'd suprise you! I got us brand new ropes for team roping!" Miranda said with a smile, "this one is your!" She motioned over to the light blue one.

Callie's eyes lit up in excitement when Miranda handed her the rope.

"Oh my gosh thank you! I love it!" Callie exclaimed.

"No problem! You ready to get to work?" Miranda questioned.

"Heck yeah!" Callie replied before taking off at a lope with Chance.

Miranda chuckled and followed Callie over to where their roping dummies were.

Miranda showed Callie the basics of roping from the ground. Showing her how to hold and throw the rope and tie the correct knot. They practiced that for about 30 minutes, then they began practicing from their horses. Knowing how Chance responded to the trial run with the rope last time, (throwing Callie off) they decided to take it slow and let Chance get used to the rope and routines before really practicing.

The first time Callie through the rope off, Chance had freaked out, so Callie was very nervous to put it lightly. But to Callie's and Miranda's suprise, he took it rather well. Although he tensed a little he didnt jump or try to throw Callie off, which was major improvement.

After another hour of practice, the girl decided to call it a night. Callie and Levi had a date planned for later that evening, and Callie was both excited and nervous.

As they untacked their horses, Miranda couldn't resist the urge to bring up the date.

"Sooooo you and Levi are going out tonight, right?" Miranda asked in a teasing tone.

Callie blushed before becoming serious, "Yup... Miranda, I'm nervous."

Miranda glanced at the teen, making sure she wasn't joking around, but then realized she was completely stoic.

"Oh, honey. It'll be fine, I bet you two will have a blast! You seem to get along great! And I happen to know what he is planning, and I think you're really going to like it." Miranda said, assuring Callie.

"Tell me! Whats he planning?!" Callie asked excitedly.

"I'm not saying! I pinky swore I wouldn't. You cant break a pinky swear." Miranda said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender.

Callie groaned, "but I hate suprises, come on! Pleaseee? You're practically my sister. You should tell me." The teen begged.

"Ohh dont pull the sister card on me! I fall for that one everytime! Beg me anymore and I'll dunk you in the water trough, I swear!" Miranda replied mischievously.

"You wouldn't." Callie responded, challenging Miranda.

"Try me Cals. I've dunked many people in that water trough and I'll do it again." Miranda answered, smiling.

Callie rolled her eyes, "Just tell me!" The teen demanded.

"Thats it! Into the trough!" Miranda yelled as she lifted Callie over her shoulder and ran towards the water.

"No! Dont do it!" Callie begged, although her laughter off set the plea.

"Get ready!" Miranda shouted with a huge grin on her face.

There was a huge splash and tons of laughter as Miranda dropped Callie into the water.

"Ugh! I cannot believe you did that!" Callie groaned as she giggled and sat up in the water, completely drenched.

"I told you I would!" Miranda said as she almost fell over with laughter.

"Well, the least you could do is help me out" Callie said as she lifted her hands up and motioned for Miranda to pull her out.

"Fine, you whinny bum." Miranda replied with a giggle.

Right when Miranda grabbed Callie's hand, the teen plastered on a devious smile and yanked Miranda into the water with her.

Miranda yelled in suprise as she plunged into the water.

"You little booger!" Miranda responded when she came out of the water.

Callie was too busy laughing to even hear what Miranda was saying. The teen was practically doubled over, laughing so hard that tears began streaming down her face.

Finally, when both women had recovered from laughing, they got out of the trough, and tried to dry off the best they could even though they were soaking wet.

Soon after both their horses were tucked safely away in the pasture for the evening, and Miranda and Callie both made their way to the parking lot, hair and clothes still dripping with water.

"Alright Cal, I hope you have fun on your date, and I expect a bunch of texts and a call when you're done. No matter how late it is!" Miranda demanded excitedly.

Callie laughed and nodded, "you'll be the first to get all the juicy details" she replied.

"Thats all I ask." Miranda responded dramatically.

The two women hugged and then seperated, Miranda heading towards her jeep, and Callie towards Stef's waiting car.

As Callie grabbed the door handle, she took a deep breath to steady herself. This date was making her more nervous than she'd like to admit.


	13. Chapter 13

**at long last! The date we've all been waiting for! Let me know what you think! Please read and review! I love seeing all of your thoughts! Once again if you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to PM me! Love-KG**

Callie brushed out her hair, and tried fixing it up in her normal styling, but she shook her head when she didnt think it looked right. The teen sighed, she turned back around, giving up on her hair for the time being and decided to look through her small selection of clothes for an outfit.

"You need some help Cals?" Mariana asked from behind.

Callie shook her head saying yes, and collapsed dramatically onto her bed.

"I have no idea what to wear. I dont even know where we are going!" Callie exclaimed.

"Well, from what you told me, Levi seems like a simple guy, and he seems nice as well, so just go with something that could be for a wide range of activities." Mariana suggested as she walked over and began examining her closet.

"Ew, Mariana that sounded really dirty." Callie joked.

Mariana whipped around, "well maybe it was meant to" she joked back as she wiggled her eyebrows in suggestion.

The two teens laughed and finally Callie got back off the bed and helped Mariana search for a good outfit.

"How about... This one!" Mariana motioned to Callie.

On the bed sat a pair of white stylish shorts and a cute top.

Callie nodded enthusiastically, "I could do that! Not too dressy, but nicer than the barn clothes he normally sees me in!" The brunette responded.

"Alright awesome! The outfits picked out... Now, for your hair and make up! I assume I get to do that too right?" Mariana asked hopefully.

Callie rolled her eyes but nodded, she knew that her foster sister would love if she let her do her hair and make up, plus, she had no idea where to start on either.

As the girls laughed and worked on Callie's makeup and hair for the date, the moms stood near their door, smiling and holding eachothers hands.

"I knew they'd get along eventually, Stef! Theyre acting just like sisters!" Lena whispered excitedly to her partner.

Stef's heart warmed at the site of the two teen girls having a good time. It just solidified her plan even more that they should adopt Callie and Jude, but she hadn't brought it up to the kids yet. She wanted it to be a special moment when they invited the kids into their family.

"I know babe. And I know we said they were only temperary, but hun, I dont think we're going to be able to send them away to someone else's family now. They belong here with us." Stef replied to her partner, with hope shining in her eyes.

"I couldn't agree more. I was waiting for you to say that. I thought I was going to have to suggest it soon!" Lena teased.

"When should we tell them?" Stef questioned ancily.

"Soon, love. I want to do it soon too. Maybe tomorrow? We need to speak with the rest of the kids first too." Lena replied.

"Okay, tonight, while Callie's out on her date and Jude's at Connor's, we'll sit down and talk with all of them!" Stef suggested excitedly.

"Okay, sounds good babe." Lena responded with a brilliant smile.

**THE FOSTERS THE FOSTERS**

Around 6 o'clock, Callie made her way downstairs, feeling shy, yet confident with her new make over. When the brunette reached the bottom, Stef and Lena looked over at the girl and both gasped in suprise. Callie was a beautiful girl to begin with, but Mariana had obviously worked hard. Callie looked absolutely radiant, even though she was in such a simple outfit, Mariana had done an amazing job with a partial braid that complimented Callie's hair perfectly. Her make up was also flawless, and both the moms were taken aback by Callie's appearance.

"Callie, honey, you look absolutely amazing!" Lena exclaimed.

Callie blushed, "I'm sure I dont look that great." The teen replied, brushing off the compliment.

"Uh, love, I beg to differ! That boys jaw is going to drop to the ground when he sees you. And if it doesn't then he's obviously blind." Stef assured.

Callie laughed, but was cut off by the sound of someone knocking at the door.

Callie felt her stomach drop. She was so nervous, she felt she might puke.

Stef motioned to the door, "are you going to let the boy in? Or leave him standing out there?" The blonde joked.

Callie looked at her, panic stricken, but walked towards the door and took a deep breath.

As she opened the door, she took one more cleansing breath, and calmed herself.

"Hey ther-" Levi began, but then abruptly stopped when he got a glimpse of Callie.

"Uh-uhm, wow, Callie, you look gorgeous." The boy stuttered.

Callie blushed and examined Levi, "You dont look so bad yourself cowboy!" She said with a small wink, "why don't you come on in and meet my crazy err- foster family."

"Okay- uhm, I brought you some flowers" Levi replied as he brought his hands from behind his back. In his large hands, he held a dozen red roses.

"I hope thats not too cliche or somethin'" Levi said, getting a little embarrassed.

"Thank you! It's not cliche at all! I love them." Callie responded as she accepted the roses with a genuine smile.

Levi finally walked into the house, he took off his cowboy hat out of respect and stood awkwardly in the foyer for a second.

"Welcome Levi! I'm Stef, and this is my partner, Lena." The blonde cop said as she shook Levi's hand.

"Nice to meet you m'am. I've heard great things." He replied. His thick southern accent showing through.

"And you as well! What are your plans tonight?" Lena said with a smile.

"Well, it's sorta a suprise, but I have a date planned close by. I'll have her home by 8:30. I promise not to keep her out too late m'am." Levi responded, his voice showing some of his nervousness.

"Well thats sweet Levi, and just so you know, Callie's curfew is 10! So if you wanted to stay out later than 8:30, you're allowed." Stef said with a small smile.

"Yes m'am. She told me, but I dont want to make a bad first impression. My momma always said that on the first date, I need to bring the girl home early." Levi replied with a grin.

Stef and Lena chuckled lightly, both getting a very good vibe from the young man.

"Alright, well we dont want you to be late if you have reservations somewhere! Go on! And have fun!" Stef said, as she scooted them out of the house good naturedly.

Callie and Levi walked outside and towards Levi's truck. When they reached the passenger side, Levi opened up Callie's door, and helped her into the truck. He shut her door gently after she was safely inside, and walked to his side of the vehicle.

Once he got in and started the truck, he glanced over at Callie nervously.

"I'm sorry. I swear I'm not normally this awkward but you just look really pretty and I'm not really sure how to act. And now I'm afraid the date I set up wont be good enough, because you deserve a lot, and oh god I need to stop talking." Levi said with a nervous laugh.

Callie laughed, "Levi, I'm absolutely sure whatever you have planned is perfect. I'm a very simple girl and my foster sister wanted to do my makeup, which is the only reason I look like this. Normally I know I'm not very pretty." The brunette replied, shaking off Levi's compliments.

Levi practically choked, "Not very pretty?! Callie, you're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire life. And if this date goes well like I hope its going to, then I will remind you that you're beautiful every single day, no matter what." The teen said earnestly.

Callie rolled her eyes good naturedly, "You're a cheese ball! But thank you cowboy, I do appreciate your compliments, and I might say that you're looking very good in your jeans and hat as well." She replied.

"Thank you, darlin'. Shall we go on our date now? I have a beautiful picnic waiting for us in a top secret location." Levi teased.

"Sounds wonderful! Should I pick out some music?" Callie asked as Levi pulled his truck out on the road and began to drive.

"Sure, anything you like. What IS your favorite type of music by the way?" Levi questioned. He wanted to learn all about Callie. Something about this girl was getting under his skin, and he was enjoying being with her.

"Well before, I didnt have much time to listen to music, and when I did hear it, it was more mainstream hip hop and stuff. But now, I've been getting into country. Miranda plays it wherever we go, and I've grown to like it. How about you?" Callie said as she scanned the radio.

"Country of course! Try 99.5, it has a lot of country! Okay, uhm, favorite color?" Levi continued.

"Easy one, blue! And you?" Callie said with a smile.

"No way! Mine is blue too. Although if camo were an option, it'd probably win out." He admitted with a laugh.

They continued asking eachother questions and getting to know eachother for the 15 minute drive. When they pulled into the sand at the beach near Callie's house, Callie smiled.

"How'd you know I liked the beach?"

She asked.

"Well, I love the beach, so I thought you would... Plus, Miranda might have dropped a few hints." He said with a laugh.

Callie nodded and began to get out of the car, but Levi cut her off.

"No, no. Let me get the door for you!" He said as he jumped out of the truck and made his way over to her side.

Callie waited patiently and smiled to herself. She could feel herself falling for him slowly, and though he was a good guy, she was still very wary about relationships. Especially after Liam.

Levi opened the door and held out his hand for her to grab. She did with only a seconds hesitation, and instead of releasing her hand after she'd exited the truck like she'd been expecting, Levi laced his fingers in hers and gave her a smile. Callie swore her insides melted when he gave her that small grin.

He walked her back to the bed of the truck and flipped down the tail gate.

Inside the truck bed he had set up a blanket and a picnic basket was waiting in the middle. Levi helped her up into the truck bed, then went back to the cab of the truck and turned on the music.

When he returned, Callie was staring at the beautiful sunset sitting in the back of the truck. Levi finally hopped up and began pulling stuff out of the picnic basket.

He had packed lemonade, homemade spaghetti, and for dessert, cookies and a thermos of hot chocolate.

"This is perfect, Levi. I cant believe you did all of this for our first date!"

Callie exclaimed as she looked at all that Levi had put out.

"Well, I wanted to ensure that there would be a second date." Levi said with a blush.

As they ate their dinner, they continued to talk and get to know eachother. To Callie's suprise there were no awkward lulls in conversation, and they talked about a wide variety of topics.

After they had finished eating, Callie came around to Levi's side of the bed of the truck and cuddled into Levi. The boy froze in shock for a second before gladly wrapping his arm around her.

"The sunset is so pretty." Callie said as she laid her head on Levi's shoulder.

"Is it? I hadn't even noticed. I cant seem to take my eyes off of you." Levi replied, never taking his eyes off of Callie.

"Are you always going to compliment me like this?" Callie said with a laugh.

"I plan on it yes. Why? Is that bad?" Levi teased.

"No, no. I'm just not used to it I guess. I-I've had some bad experiences with guys, and I've never been treated as nice as you have treated me tonight. I can honestly say that this has been the greatest date of my life." Callie replied sincerely.

Levi smiled, "So does that mean there may be a second date in store? Maybe... In a couple days?" He asked hopefully.

"Hmm... Well I'll have to think about it." Callie said.

"Oh uhm, right of course." Levi responded, obviously let down.

"Levi! I'm just kidding! Of course I'd love to go out on another date with you!" Callie exclaimed.

"Oh thank God. I thought you didnt like me." Levi said, relieved.

Callie laughed, "Honestly, I'm liking you A LOT, right now." She replied.

"Me too, darlin'" Levi said huskily.

Callie began leaning in for a kiss, but instead Levi looked down at his watch.

"Oh wow! It's almost 8:15, I better get you home!" He said.

Callie looked away, embarrassed. She was confused at why he hadn't kissed her. Maybe he didnt like her as much as she thought.

The drive back to the house was a lot quieter, and Callie didnt say much. Finally, Levi called her on it.

"D-Did I do something? You're acting different." Levi asked, confused.

"No, no. Its just I thought you were going to kiss me, and you didnt and I was confused." Callie replied, her face growing red.

"Oh-OH! Oh gosh Callie, of course I wanted to kiss you! It's just I was raised to never kiss a girl on the first date. Just out of respect, and to show a girl that I'm not just here for sex or something." Levi responded, his face growing red as well.

"Ohh, okay gosh. I thought I did something wrong." Callie replied, relieved.

"No, I really like you Callie." Levi said, grabbing Callie's hand and lacing his fingers through hers.

Callie smiled, and squeezed his hand. Levi returned the squeeze and their conversation resumed the way it was before the picnic, all the while, their hands never seperating.

When they pulled into Callie's driveway at 8:28, Stef peeked out the window. She saw Levi get out and open Callie's door, and help her out of the truck.

"Dont spy, Stef!" Lena teased from behind.

"Shhh..." Stef replied with a smile, still watching the teens interactions from the window.

Levi held Callie's hand as they walked up to the door, and when they reached the front step, the young boy hugged Callie. She returned the hug without hesitation.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the barn, yeah?" Callie said as they seperated from their hug.

"Of course. And we have another date, Thursday night?" Levi clarified hopefully.

"Sounds amazing." Callie replied with a huge smile.

Levi returned the smile, and walked towards his truck, he waved once more at Callie, and then she walked inside.

When she closed the door, she leaned her back against it and took let out a huge breath. Her heart was fluttering and she felt like her heart had melted tonight. For once in Callie's life. She finally felt that everything was going well.


	14. Chapter 14

**chapter 14! Sorry for the delay! A little drama with Miranda this chapter! Let me know what you think! If you have any suggestions on where you want this story to go, let me know, or else I'll probably wrap it up around Chapter 20! Love-KG**

Callie and Levi rode around the arena together, racing their horses the next day. Surprising Levi, Callie shot past him and her and Chance took a strong lead. She laughed when she saw a look of determination come accross Levi's face as he urged Lucky into a faster gallop. Unfortunately for the boy, Callie and Chance had been practicing for the speed events in the rodeo, and Levi stood no chance. When they reached the end of the race, Callie was practically falling off of her horse as she laughed.

"Thought you were gonna beat me huh, Cowboy?" Callie teased.

"Holy hell! Yall shot outta there like a bullet. I was gonna go easy on you, but obviously I dont need to. I expect a rematch later missy." Levi teased back.

"Hows it goin? You two looked awesome out there! Callie, Chance is doing well with his endurance and speed! Think you're ready for our first rodeo next week?" Miranda chimed in from the railing.

"Oh my gosh! Yes! You're competing too right?" Callie exclaimed.

"Of course. And Windy and I are going to kick your ass." Miranda said with a playful wink.

"In your dreams. I just kicked Levi's ass, and I'm going to kick yours next week" Callie continued with a smile.

"Hey! I went easy on you! I demand a rematch!" Levi said back, mocking hurt.

Callie waved him off, "Maybe later Cowboy. Miranda and I have rodeo training to do, and I believe that you need to work on skills with Lucky, so I will see you towards the end of lessons." The brunette replied.

Levi pouted playfully, "Fine, but we are going to rematch." He said.

Callie laughed and rode towards the other side of the arena where Windy was tied up and waiting for Miranda.

"Okay, so today we're going to work on barrel racing and pole bending some more, I know we've done some training with this already but you need to be prepared for the rodeo next week! So i set up the barrel pattern already over there if you wanna trot him through it once, then lope, then gallop! Go ahead and give it a try while I work with Windy on poles over here! When you're going to do you're fast run, I'll time you to see how you're doing." Miranda explained.

Callie nodded and reined Chance over to the start. She took her time trotting around each barrel, and making sure she had solid, tight turns, so that when they ran through it, he'd be quicker.

After the trot round went well, Calliw brought him up to a lope and went around the barrels again. Chance did very well with the lope, but Callie had to pull the reins back tightly because Chance was ancy and wanted to gallop already.

Callie rode Chance over to where Miranda was practicing.

"Okay, Can you time me now? I think we're ready." Callie said as she motioned down to Chance who couldn't sit still.

"Sure thing!" Miranda replied.

The walked their horses back over to the barrel pattern and Callie backed Chance up to the starting point.

"On your marks, get set, GO!" Miranda shouted.

Callie and Chance took off, and got to the first barrel in record time. They rounded it tightly, and Callie reined Chance over to the second one, giving him a little squeeze with her heels to urge him on. Flawlessly they turned the second barrel, and then they were at the third in no time.

Callie turned Chance beautifully, and then they were in for the home stretch. Callie urged Chance on with her heels again, and hunkered down to Chance's back, hoping to be less air resistant. They passed where Miranda was standing in a blur, and Callie pulled back on the reins, getting Chance to halt.

They stood there catching their breath together as Miranda stared at them in disbelief. A good time for that barrel pattern was around 18.5 to 19 seconds, but Callie and Chance ended with 16.9 seconds, an unbeatable time.

"Holy shit Callie what steroids are you feeding that beast?!" Miranda exclaimed.

Callie laughed, "No steroids here! Just a lot of hard work... And love"

The teen replied as she looked down at Chance lovingly and patted his neck.

"So... What was our time? Are we ready for the rodeo?" Callie asked excitedly.

"Honey, you're more than ready! 16.9 seconds. I'm still in shock." Miranda responded.

"No way! That cannot be right." Callie replied disbelieving.

"Thats what my timer says." Miranda said as she threw her hands up.

"I'm doing it again. Time me accurately this time please." Callie joked.

"Okay, whatever you say Callie girl!" Miranda said with a laugh.

Miranda hit the start button a second time on the tienr and once again, Callie and Chance took off.

Before Miranda even knew it, they blew by her side again, finishing the pattern.

"Seriously, are you sure you aren't feeding him steroids? Because now your time was 16.7, and I timed it on the regular timer AND my phone." Miranda responded in disbelief.

Callie continued to stare in disbelief at Miranda as she sat breathless on top of Chance.

"...holy... Shit..." Callie replied.

"I know... You guys are going to blow everyone out of the water at the rodeo. I have no doubt." Miranda said back with a smile.

"I believe, that you have an observer over there... And a cute one at that..." Miranda exclaimed with a giggle as she motioned towards the railing on the other side of the arena.

Callie looked over her shoulder, confused, but then smiled when she saw Levi watching from accross the arena. It was so weird to Callie, to feel a comforting feeling from seeing the boy, but it came over her quickly.

"Are we done for the day? I think he's waiting on me? We might have another date tonight." Callie turned back to Miranda, her cheeks going red.

"Ohhh yeahhhh? You liikee him" Miranda replied in a singsong voice.

Callie turned an even deeper shade of crimson, "shut up Miranda, we need to find you a man, so I can start teasing you about it." The teen joked.

Miranda's face became a little more sober at the mention of a man for herself, "Uhm, N-no, I'm not really into the whole dating scene. I-I prefer to be single." The curly headed woman replied.

Callie was a little confused at Miranda's reaction, and gave her a look that expressed the confusion.

"We're going to talk about this later, I need more of an explanation." Callie said sternly.

"Ohh and you're the therapist now?" Miranda tried to joke, but it came out a little cold.

"You know, I can stay here and we can talk about it. You always come before Levi, no matter what. I can tell him i'm busy." Callie replied.

"No no, its not important. It doesn't even matter. Go on your date,

Have fun! We'll get together tomorrow for lunch before rodeo practice?" Miranda suggested, brushing off Callie's concern.

"Okay, if you say so, I'll text you later Miranda." Callie responded and turned Chance towards Levi.

Callie began to ride away but gave one more confused glance to Miranda. She was acting really weird, and Callie made a mental note to make sure she got to the bottom of it tomorrow.


End file.
